METHODS OF AND SYSTEMS FOR SEARCHING BY INCORPORATING USER-ENTERED INFORMATION

• US 20160246796A1
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Search Engine Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Tanne, Michael, Lu, Yunshan, Karsh, Bruce D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,311,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A system for and a method of using user-entered information to return more meaningful information in response to Internet search queries are disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises managing a database in response to multiple user inputs and displaying search results from the database in response to a search query. The search results include a results list and supplemental data related to the search query. Managing the database includes, among other things, re-ranking elements in the results list, storing information related to relevancies of elements in the results list, blocking a link in the results list, storing links to documents related to the search query, or any combination of these. The supplemental data include descriptions of or indices to one or more concepts related to the search query.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A method comprising:

a) managing a database including user input, wherein the database comprises supplemental information; and

b) presenting web page search results from the database in response to a search query initiated by a user, wherein the web page search results includes a results list and the supplemental information related to the search query, wherein the results list comprises a list of web pages related to the search query, and wherein multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information regardless of the original source of the supplemental information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the supplemental information is presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, and wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the order in which the web pages are initially presented is influenced by relevance feedback.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.

41. A system comprising:

a) a Web server computer configured to present web page search results, wherein the web page search results include a results list and supplemental information related to terms of a search query initiated by a user, wherein the results list comprises a list of web pages related to the terms of the search query, and wherein multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information regardless of the source of the supplemental information;

b) a search engine for querying a database and providing the web page search results in response to user queries; and

c) a content manager for managing the supplemental information in response to user input.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the supplemental information is presented separately new from and independently of the entries in the results list.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, and wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

47. The system of claim 41, wherein the order in which the web pages are initially presented is influenced by relevance feedback.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.